Fiercely independent after a difficult childhood, Ilke Lunquist devotes herself to one thing: skiing. She's on the cusp of gold when an unexpected pregnancy throws her future into chaos.

Nathaniel Hart takes on the daunting project of restoring Whiskey Jack Ski Resort to be close to his young son, but with one failed marriage behind him, he avoids serious relationships.

They might be virtual strangers with only a baby in common, but Nate is determined to be part of his child's life. Ilke didn't become a champion by backing down from a challenge, especially not one where her child's happiness and her own heart are on the line. When tragedy strikes, heartbreak draws them closer together. Nate discovers he's more than ready for a bigger family and maybe, just maybe, Ilke will find the home that has eluded her all her life.

Ilke tells Nate that
she’s pregnant from their New Year’s Eve hook-up…

Whatever
dim, fall-into-place vision she’d had of how this would go faded another few
degrees. Fairy tales definitely
weren’t real. And reality sucked raw eggs.

“It
was an accident.” That was the most important thing she needed to convey, in a
voice she struggled to project evenly. “I was taking medication that
counteracted my birth control. I didn’t know until last week.”

“I
wore a condom. Every time.” He threw the clothing he’d gathered into a laundry
bag near the door. “Are you sure it’s mine?”

She
felt her weight go back onto her heels, then the raw sting hit her front,
raking from her throat to her breastbone to create a sick knot that settled in
her gut. Why were women always virgins or sluts and nothing in between?

She
hated him in that moment for being exactly
like all the rest. Why then, did she feel his
baby was worth keeping?

“Since
you’re the only man I’ve had sex with in the last…” she looked to the ceiling,
trying to recall “…two years, yes.”

“Two
years,” he repeated with deep skepticism.

Another
wave of defensive affront went through her. What did he think?

As
their gaze met, however, she could see what he thought. Or rather, what he
remembered. She had lost track of the times she’d gone back for seconds. The
memory made her tender breasts feel that much heavier. The pulse at the base of
her throat throbbed a little harder.

Clearly
a woman with her appetite was a sex fiend who gave it up to any man who wanted
to throw her a bone.

She
held his gaze even though it was like holding something hot enough to leave
third-degree burns. Even though it melted away whatever invisible shield she
managed to hold against him and left her naked and splayed and not something he wanted a second helping of. Not now.
Not ever.

Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with some laughter and heat thrown in, just like real life. Mostly she writes contemporary romance for Harlequin Presents and Tule's Montana Born, but her backlist of forty books also includes self-published erotic romance, romantic comedy, and even an epic medieval fantasy. When she's not writing-just kidding, she's always writing. She lives in BC, Canada with her high school sweetheart husband who occasionally coaxes her out of her attic office to travel and visit their grown children.